Create a morning sanctuary with a well-ordered coffee station

Tricia Huntley says coffee is a priority for her, but there is no way she could start her day at a chaotic Starbucks.

Her morning Zen moment begins at the charming coffee station she created in her Washington home. The ritual starts with grinding Peet’s French Roast beans, brewing the blend, and drinking it either from a Wedgwood teacup or a hand-painted pottery mug. Everything she needs, including sweeteners in vintage bowls, spoons and a spoon rest, is arranged on a tray in a niche in her kitchen.

“Coffee is the one thing you can depend on for starting your day,” says Huntley, an interior designer. “Normally I like my counters clear, but coffee is a priority, and I created a special corner for it next to the refrigerator and under a cabinet. It’s nice to have one thing you can count on.”

Well ordered

These stations can be as simple or as fancy as you want; the point is to have everything in one place. Rustic bowls, dainty tea cups and mix-and-match teaspoons add personal style. Shelves, trays and drawers keep things organized. Instagram is sprinkled with photos of pretty little coffee pods nestled like bonbons in glossy wooden drawers fitted with dividers or tea bags arranged by color.

On display

Designer Barry Dixon says he doesn’t lay out a kitchen for clients without analyzing their morning routines and then specifying a spot for coffee, tea, espresso or latte. “It’s a byproduct of the Starbucks-ization of our homes,” Dixon says. “It’s a big part of 21st-century life.”

Or well hidden

Richard Anuszkiewicz, a kitchen designer at Alt Breeding Associates in Annapolis, Md., likes to design beverage stations so house guests can help themselves. “A kitchen is much more of the living room these days where everyone is hanging out, so we want everything properly stored,” he says. For one Annapolis family, he placed coffee makers and breakfast appliances on shelves on either side of a range. Then he installed marble panel doors on either side that can be lifted or lowered with the push of a button to keep the stations out of sight when not in use.